


if keith falls and no one is around to hear, does he make a sound?

by jiangweiwei



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: "that's gay", Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Canon Divergent, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Japanese Keith (Voltron), M/M, Pining, Post-Earth, Slow Burn, Songfic, The Little Prince - Freeform, angsty literature references, i wonder what happiness looks like, inspired by New Light by john mayer, keith pov, klance, kogane is a japanese last name okay, new light
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-02 02:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16777378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiangweiwei/pseuds/jiangweiwei
Summary: This stupid crush is getting out of control.“Don’t tell him.”“Why would I tell him? It’s so much more fun watching you stew in your angst.”(or Keith is no longer content with watching)





	1. in which keith goes without pants

**Author's Note:**

> to clarify some things before we begin:  
> -kogane is a japanese last name, so i went with that (it probably won't come up in the story anyway)  
> -this takes place after their defeat of sendak, and i'm brushing the altean in the robot off for now
> 
> thanks for reading, and enjoy the endless pining!

Keith Kogane has never wished for death more. With a groan, he turned over and stared at the blinking clock; 0400 castle time, which translated to 4 am Earth time, which also translated to torture for Keith. It wasn’t normally a problem for his insomnia to keep him up this late. After years of living in foster home after foster home, he got used to functioning without sleep. He learned to keep himself busy whenever he couldn’t quite drift off with maintaining his knife or looking for weird signals in the desert or wandering the halls of the castleship like Keith the Not-So-Friendly Ghost.

Now, though, he desperately needed some sleep. After missions for Voltron, Keith always tried to get some kind of rest to make sure he was in fighting shape when the next one inevitably rolled around. It seemed that this time his post-fight adrenaline was going to keep him up till the ass crack of dawn.

Keith rolled out of bed with a sigh and pulled on a shirt, opting to go without pants for maximum 4 am comfort. If he was this awake, maybe he could try learning Altean again. Maybe this time the giant bear thing would kill him and put him out of his misery. Keith grabbed a blanket and pulled it over his head, cozy and prepared to conk out after he got bored enough.

When he got down to the training deck where the language programs were, he saw that he wasn’t alone in his insomnia. Lance was doing yoga off to the side, something complicated that looked like it hurt. Keith’s stupid heart did a little flip at the sight of him, but the paladin dutifully ignored it.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Keith asked the tangle of tan limbs on the yoga mat.

With a sleepy sigh, the tangle unfolded into a human. Lance looked up at him from the mat, taking in the blanket and lack of pants. “Nah. You?”

Keith shrugged and plopped down onto the cold floor, adjusting his blanket so he could sit on it. “I can never sleep after a mission.”

“Same,” Lance yawned, arms stretching cutely over his head. “So, what? Are you here to train in your boxers?”

“No. I was hoping to learn some Altean.”

“You mean the program that scared the shit out of Pidge? Do you want to die?”

“That’s the plan,” Keith mumbled, crossing his legs and starting up the language program.

“Welcome to introductory Altean,” the computer greeted. A blue screen lit up the room. “Level, beginner. Safety, off.”

“Dude, are you crazy?” Lance yelled, terminating the program. It disappeared with a blip, throwing the training room back into semi-darkness.

Keith scowled. “What are you doing? Let me die.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Lance scoffed, sitting back on the yoga mat. “Death by Altean language learner is not a cool way to go.”

Keith sighed, slumping. “I can’t wait until Allura calls us in for drills so I can kick your sorry ass.”

“Hey! My ass isn’t sorry, it’s magnificent.”

Well, he already knew  _ that _ . “Whatever, Lance. What else am I supposed to do?”

The boy shrugged, tan face twisting into a frown. “I don’t know, man. Read a book. Do something productive for once.” 

The Black Paladin watched as Lance paused, paling. “Oh my god, I sound like my mom.”

Keith laughed, letting the sound ring through the training room. “Your mom probably sounds better than you do.”

“I can’t even argue with you,” Lance shivered. “Even in space, my mama could probably still hit me with her  _ chancla _ . That’s a Cuban woman for you.”

Keith shook his head as they fell silent. Somewhere in the distance, a light turned on and off. Maybe it was Hunk rooting through the kitchen for a late night snack, or Pidge salvaging some machinery from the sink to use in her latest invention. Maybe it was Shiro, roaming the castle halls after a nightmare they all pretended they didn’t hear. Keith slowly leaned to the side, letting his huge blanket cushion the fall as he laid down on the cool metal ground.

“Tired?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied. In front of him, Lance mirrored his position so they faced each other.

“Hey,” Lance broke the silence after a minute. “Do you think -when we get back to Earth- that we’ll be able to go back to the way it was?”

Keith opened his eyes. In the dim lighting from the blue lamps along the walls, Lance looked small and cold in this wide open space. Keith let his eyelids fall. “Do you want to? To go back to the way it was?”

“...no. I don’t think so; not anymore. Even if I did, I don’t think it would be possible. Everything we’ve seen, done, been through - there’s no going back to being the wide-eyed Cuban boy,” Lance said into the darkness.


	2. in which keith gets soft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things get a little sad in keith's head, which is quickly remedied with a cat. meow.

Keith woke with two things on his mind: his bladder and something to eat. When he opened his eyes, Lance was asleep not too far away, breathing softly. He looked peaceful, like the light of day had washed away the doubts and worries of last night. Keith himself felt light, like he’d gotten something off his chest without knowing. 

Keith pushed his blanket off, feeling a sudden chill as he laid it over Lance (who had the audacity to keep sleeping, the fucker), and tottered off to find a bathroom. Now that he was awake and aware, several things occurred to him rather suddenly as he washed his hands. The first was that he and Lance had managed to make it through several hours without arguing (banter didn’t count). The second was that he and Lance had managed to fall asleep in the training room, which was ridiculous because he knew for a fact that Lance was never comfortable there after the invisible wall incident.

The water stopped. God, he was so whipped. Keith knew he had fallen hard, but there was nothing he could do about it. He said it out loud to his reflection. “I’m whipped for Lance.”

“I  _ know _ .”

Keith whirled, his ears heating up. “Uh, good morning Pidge.”

She was wearing her pajamas, glasses propped up on the top of her head. “Morning. Did you only just now realize that you have a massive crush on the Red Paladin?”

_ No _ . Some part of him had always known, ever since their rescue of Shiro three years ago. “Please don’t tell him, Pidge.”

“Why would I tell him? It’s so much more fun watching you stew in your angst,” she snorted, shuffling past him so she could brush her teeth. “Besides, I’m not really in the business of spouting other people's darkest secrets.”

Keith let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Thanks?”

She didn’t answer, just smiled at Keith’s reflection in a kind manner that didn’t fit her words at all.

He turned and headed for the door, belatedly realizing that he should probably put on some pants before heading to the kitchen. (Would anyone really care?) (Maybe Allura.)

Of course, as he spaced out on his way to his room, his mind wandered back to Lance. Keith had always liked him, but after last night something was different. They’d had a real bonding moment, a little emotional and a little soul-baring. It made Keith feel like Lance trusted him in a way that hadn’t registered before. Sure, on the battlefield they trusted each other with their lives, but it was something else entirely to trust someone with your fears. Keith felt his ears warm and pushed down the fuzzy feeling that was growing in his chest.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing,” Keith growled to himself, a little embarassed. “Get a grip.”

Back in the Garrison, Keith hadn’t noticed Lance at all. Even if he was wrapped up in his troublemaker-orphan angst, how could he have missed him? Lance was beautiful and kind and funny and a good person and everything Keith wasn’t. Lance was all soothing balm and cheer, something Keith should’ve noticed - should’ve coveted and treasured like it was going out of style. He had needed it.

There was a tradition between the fighter pilots at the Garrison; the dead pool. There was no way you could become a fighter pilot without being a little reckless, a little suicidal. It was probably what made Keith so much better than anything of the others. If you had nothing to lose, you had no reasons to hold back in the cockpit. Everyone bet on Keith - he would be the first to go.

Lance could have changed all of that.

Keith waited a beat for his door to swish open and dragged his feet over to the dresser. He still had he clothes from when they first left Earth, but they were too small for his 19 year old frame. He had some clothes from their last trip to Earth, but it wouldn’t last long enough for life in space. Keith would have to go shopping soon… 

He pulled on some skinny black slacks he’d swiped from the first intact department store he’d found and a long-sleeve shirt, grabbed his dagger belt, and headed out again. Keith rarely spent time in his room that wasn’t sleeping (when he could) or making pit stops for new clothes. Sometimes he cleaned his weapons there, but he preferred to do that in the lounge so he could listen to the conversations of the others.

Keith paused in front of Lance’s door. He was talking to someone?

“... hungry? I’ll bring you something to eat from the kitchen,” Lance was saying. There was a brief pause. “Sorry, you’ve gotta stay here for now… I can’t risk the others kicking you off the ship.”

Without a second thought, Keith put his hand on the scanner and the door swished open. He didn’t know what he was expecting, which was probably why it didn’t surprise him at all to see a kitten on the floor in front of him.

“Keith?!” Lance yelped. “It’s not what it looks like!”

Keith ignored him, crouching down to pet the kitten as it meowed happily. Twin waves of giddiness and rage pulsed through him. “Hello, kitty. Who are you?”

“Keith?”

The Black Paladin sent Lance a murderous glare, the one he reserved for his mortal enemies. “I can’t believe you, Lance.”

The boy shrank back at the black tone of Keith’s voice, but he wasn’t done talking.

“Keeping a kitten secretly from the rest of the team - from  _ me _ ,” Keith growled. The kitten batted at the sleeve of his shirt like it was asking him to calm down.

“Sorry,” Lance whimpered fearfully. “I didn’t know how everyone would react - I know we can’t really afford to look after a zoo when we’re always away. Please don’t make me-”

“It’s not that!” Keith interrupted, scowling. “You know I love cats, but you hid this  _ adorable thing _ from me anyway. I’m hurt.”

Lance paused in his cowering, lowering his arms. “You’re not… you’re not gonna make me give her away?”

“Why would I do that?” Keith huffed, the kitten jumping into his lap as he sat down on the floor. He patted her head affectionately, anger subsiding. “She’s so cute. What’s her name?”

He felt Lance sit down in front of him, crossing his long legs. He was still wearing his pajamas, lion slippers abandoned. “I don’t know. I kind of thought that if I gave her a name it would make it easier for her to be discovered or something.”

The kitten was small and blonde, with wide eyes and a friendly look to her. “She-Ra.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't watched She-Ra yet, but I had to pay tribute somehow...


End file.
